The Political Life of Reverend Roland D. Sawyer

Download or read book The Political Life of Reverend Roland D. Sawyer written by Tyler L. Wolanin and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2024-05-29 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Roland D. Sawyer was a Western Massachusetts state legislator who, over a half-century in politics, tackled some of the state’s thorniest issues. The Political Life of Reverend Roland D. Sawyer by Tyler L. Wolanin offers insight into legislative politics in Massachusetts as the state underwent political and economic transitions, urbanization, and unrest. Though Sawyer never attained high office, his longevity and influence allowed him to shape the policy debate on issues such as voting and elections, prohibition, and criminal justice reform. As a minister, former socialist, sometime-radical, and “cog in the machine,” Sawyer instigated investigations and impeachments, lost elections, saw a friend become president, had half of his district flooded to make a reservoir, and fell into and out of favor with some of the most famous power players in Massachusetts history. Emerging from this book, Sawyer is portrayed as one of the most interesting Massachusetts political figures from the first half of the twentieth century.